MICHAEL’S JOURNEY WAS FOUNDED IN 2012 BY THE HART FAMILY.
When Mike and Jen Hart’s son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism at three years old, they started looking for ways to support his growth and searched for resources to help them build their toolkit around raising a neuro-divergent child.
They learned about the significance of early intervention in autism, and noticed through their own work and education background that there was a lack of resources dedicated within early childhood education programs when it came to learning about kids with disabilities—especially children on the autism spectrum. While Jen, as a counselor in the local school district, knew of some tools and techniques, Mike realized that his graduate education in counseling and human development barely scratched the surface.
From there, the Hart family started setting their own milestones and shaping what would be meaningful to them as they raised their two kids, Michael and Kenlyn. That led to them reaching out to the South Dakota State University Foundation about their interest in investing in something that would create autism awareness and equip pre-service educators with tools and techniques to support children who were on the spectrum. This led to them setting up an endowment fund at the SDSU Foundation and an annual autism awareness conference, Michael’s Journey, through the university’s School of Education, Counseling & Human Development.
They learned about the significance of early intervention in autism, and noticed through their own work and education background that there was a lack of resources dedicated within early childhood education programs when it came to learning about kids with disabilities—especially children on the autism spectrum. While Jen, as a counselor in the local school district, knew of some tools and techniques, Mike realized that his graduate education in counseling and human development barely scratched the surface.
From there, the Hart family started setting their own milestones and shaping what would be meaningful to them as they raised their two kids, Michael and Kenlyn. That led to them reaching out to the South Dakota State University Foundation about their interest in investing in something that would create autism awareness and equip pre-service educators with tools and techniques to support children who were on the spectrum. This led to them setting up an endowment fund at the SDSU Foundation and an annual autism awareness conference, Michael’s Journey, through the university’s School of Education, Counseling & Human Development.
Since 2012, Michael’s Journey—the annual autism awareness conference at SDSU—has hosted over 500 early childhood education students and educators. The conference has equipped its attendees with resources from renowned scholars and significant research in the field, as well as invited parents of kids with autism to share their journeys.
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